[photopress:MBA_Postfradiuates_Beijing.jpg,full,alignright]China’s national postgraduate entrance exam with 1.2 million registered participants, 6.3% down from 2007 and the first drop in almost a decade.
The number of people registering to take the examination soared from 319,000 in 1999 to 1.28 million last year, an average annual increase of 17.2%. The current drop left could be attributed to a changing employment market, the reduced quality of postgraduate education and increasing costs in postgraduate courses.
China began expanding its university recruitment in 1999 and the number of college graduates had reached record high for years. This has led to tough competition for employment.
This year’s output is expected to be 5.5 million graduates.
Currently, about 1.5 million people are studying in graduate courses nationwide.
A Peking University Public Policy Institute report issued last month said 66.66% of graduates with a master’s degree found jobs in July. This was only slightly higher than the 65.52% for those with a bachelor’s degree.
There is also the problem of changing attitudes of employers.
Zhang Changwu who runs a company in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said, ‘We are looking for employees who are worth the pay. If a graduate and postgraduate have similar skills and experience, we will pick the former for the sake of a lower salary.’
Mao Zuheng, a University of Science and Technology Beijing expert said society, including employers, are more rational towards degree and diploma holders and many are inclined to take account of skill and experience.
Professor Qian Zongfan of Guangxi Normal University reasoned that while the number of graduate students had increased, the number of faculty had not. He said, ‘Obviously, students will not receive as good training as before. A tutor might have 20 to 30 students now, compared with two or three 10 years ago,’
Source: China News
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